Frustrated mom fires back at trolls who say she faked her weight loss

When you reach a huge goal, you might expect everyone to be supportive and cheer you on. Unfortunately, this is not the case; you may instead have to deal with haters who try to bring us down.

One UK mother experienced just that when trolls on the internet claimed she faked her weight loss.

Tanya Derbyshire, mother of two, went from a UK size 22 (US size 18) to a UK size 8 (US size 4) in a year and a half through giving her diet an overhaul and taking up swimming. She even started an online community to document her journey.

Derbyshire said her weight crept up with her two pregnancies. She said because she was "eating for two," she used it as an excuse to eat whatever she wanted. The Sun reported that she would eat 4,000 calories a day.

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After she gave birth to her first child, Corby, she said she would join UK weight-loss company Slimming World. She went back to her old habits, however, but swore she would stick to her goal after having her second child, Rio.

This time, Derbyshire was true to her word. She replaced her fattening meals with healthier options, and started going to her local swimming pool. Then, Derbyshire started blogging as a way to keep herself and others motivated.

"When I started losing weight, I felt so happy, I wanted to share it with others in the hope of helping them feel amazing too," she told The Sun.

Some, however, did not have Derbyshire's positive attitude, and they resorted to writing her gross comments. "When I got trolled," she said, "it was a huge slap in the face but I refused to let them get the better of me."

PHOTOS: See Derbyshire's incredible transformation

Internet trolls claimed that the woman in the "before" photos were not really Derbyshire. "I was horrified," she said, "I couldn't believe anyone would think I was making it up and be so mean."

Others believed Derbyshire, but said other cruel things -- like that she needed surgery to get rid of loose skin. "People had commented on those, saying: 'You need surgery on your stomach,'" she recalled.

Derbyshire, however, does not let the negativity stop her. Not only does she still frequently update her page -- which has over 25,000 likes -- but she also turned her passion for self-improvement into a business.

She is now a certified nutritionist and devotes her time to support others in their weight-loss journeys. "Before I lost the weight, I had been unemployed," she commented, "but the confidence to get out and work came with the new me."

She receives much more positive feedback than negative. Derbyshire is determined to ignore the trolls and focus on being helpful to others.